Music box movement



Aug. 6, 1968 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 R. VILLIGER 3,395,599

MUSIC BOX MOVEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 6, 1968 R. VILLIGER MUSIC BOX MOVEMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 23, 1965 FIGS 6, 1968 R. VILLIGER 3,395,599

MUS I C BOX MOVEMENT Filed Oct. 23, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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U ied see Patent 3,395,599 MUSIC BOX MOVEMENT Remy Villiger, Sainte-Croix, Switzerland, assignor to Lador S.A., a company of Switzerland Filed Oct. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 503,941 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Oct. 5, 1965, 13,731/65 2 Claims. (Cl. 84-95) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A music box having a mobile wherein a manually actuated clutch permits disconnecting the music box while maintaining the motion of the mobile.

In numerous music boxes the spring mechanism drives a drum bearing projections intended to actuate blades which play music and a moving object for example a puppet or a small dancing figure.

The present invention precisely has for object a music box movement having :a mechanism of this type but which is characterised by means which permit the driving of the drum to be interrupted while maintaining that of the moving object.

The annexed drawing represents, by way of example, one embodiment and a variant of the present invention:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of said embodiment;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 1 for another position of its element;

FIGURE 3 is an end view of FIGURE 1;

FIGRE 4 is a cross-sectional view along line IVIV of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a partial cross-sectional view similar to that of FIGURE 4, for a variation of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 5 for another position of the elements represented on said figure.

The movement shown comprises a plate 1 on the upper face of which projects a casing 2 containing a spiral spring the internal extremity of which is integral with axis 4 to which is screwed a winding key 5, the external end of the spring being secured to a pin 2a in casing 2.

On axis 4 is keyed a toothed tray 6 arranged under spring 3 and which meshes with a wheel 7 positioned on the left of another toothed tray 8, this wheel and this tray both being keyed on a horizontal axis 9 rotatably mounted in an opening 2b of casing 2 and in a bushing 11) mounted in an opening 11a in post 11 projecting from p ate 1.

The extremity 9a of arm 9 is threaded in order to receive whatever mobile object is intended to be driven by the movement. This can consist for example of a puppet, dancing girl or more generally of any trinket or mobile decorative element.

Tray 8 is meshed with pinion 12 mounted on the same shaft 14 with a toothed wheel 1'3, which shaft is mounted on two tabs 15a and 15b of part 15 secured on plate 1. Toothed wheel 13 in turn meshes with the grooves 16a of axis 16 which is rotatably mounted between tab 15b and tab 15c on part 15.

On axis 16 is keyed a plastic pinion meshing with an endless screw 18a provided on the lower part of a vertical shaft 18 rotatably mounted in the base of piece -15 and in a bridge 15d extending parallel to said base.

Shaft 18 bears on its upper part a rotor 19 having four blades angularly separated by 90 one from the other, and which constitute the regulating member for the 3,395,599 Patented Aug. 6, 1968 movement by breaking the same during its rotation as a result of the air to which its blades are subjected.

Axis 9 of the movement not only drives a mobile secured on its extremity 9a but also a cylinder 20 the rounded face of which has projections 20 which permit, as the cylinder rotates, to bend by pressure the blades 22 of a comb 23 secured to plate 1. The length of these blades is selected in such a way that each one when vibrating gives a sound of a different frequency which increases as the length thereof decreases. In the embodiment shown, the projections 20' and the cylinder 20 are cast in one piece.

With the movement of the invention, it is possible not to drive cylinder 20, that is not to produce musical sounds, while maintaining the movement of the mobile on shaft 9.

In effect, cylinder 20 is slidingly mounted on shaft 9, on the one hand, by a flange integral therewith and on the other hand, by a driven flange 20b.

The face of flange 20a facing toothed tray 8 has a triangular dented section 200 adapted to mesh by the sliding movement of cylinder 20 toward casing 2 through an intermediate spring 21 wound on axis 9, with a corresponding toothing 8a on tray 8 (FIGURE 1).

The displacement of cylinder 20 from its position shown on FIGURE 2, on which it is not driven by tray 8, to that of FIGURE 1 is effected by means of a lever 24 articulated around a screw 25 secured to post 11. This lever has three lugs 24a, 24b and 240 bent back toward plate 1.

Lugs 24a and 24b extend from post 11 and constitute stops for lever 24 for which they limit the angular travel which results from the two positions that the lever can take in FIGURES 1 and 2.

Lug 240 contacts flange 20b shrunk on cylinder 20 and has a length such that when lever 24 is in its position of FIGURE 2, the toothing 200 of cylinder 20 is maintained at :a distance from toothing 8a of tray 8, by the action of spring 21 and accordingly cylinder 20 is not driven by shaft 9.

When lever 24 is moved to the position of FIGURE 1, lug 24c of the lever pushes cylinder 20 and puts it in contact with wheel 8. In the variant of the invention shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, lever 24 is replaced by a pusher 26 the lower part of which projects under plate 1 and which is slidingly mounted on its middle part 27 in a bore 28 driven in a corresponding opening in the plate under shaft 9.

A spring washer 29 constitutes a position stop for pusher 26 in its lowermost position while the positioning of the same pusher in its raised position is assured by a bearing 26a on the pusher.

The upper part of pusher 26 is truncated at 30 and terminates in a cylindrical part 31.

In FIGURE 5, cyclinder 20 is in a position corresponding to that in FIGURE 2, that is to say that it is not meshed with toothed tray 8.

In displacing the pusher in its upper position in FIG- URE 6, the truncated part 30 bears on the lower part of the circular edge of cylinder 20 in such a way that the cylinder is displaced toward the right and takes the position occupied in FIGURE 1.

In still another modification of the described movement, the mobile to be driven by the movement can be secured on the upper thread of arbor 4.

What is claimed is:

1. A music box movement comprising a spring mechanism, a shaft driven thereby, at least one drum slidingly mounted on said shaft and having projections for actuating music-playing metallic blades and driven by said mechanism, at least one mobile also driven by said mechanism and a clutch permitting interruption of the driving of said drum while maintaining that of said mobile.

2. Movement according to claim 1, wherein said clutch comprises a first tray on said shaft and provided with teeth on that part thereof facing the drum, a second tray presenting teeth complementary to said first tray and cooperating With said drum; elastic means tending to separate said trays; and a member for meshing the teeth of said trays by sliding the drum on the shaft.

No references cited. 

